Abbot k



A. R. DAVIS.

Corn Husker.

Patented FebEv 9, 1858.

UNITED STATES PATENT CEFICE.

ABBOT R. DAVIS, OF EAST CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELFAND B. D. MOODY, OF SAME PLACE.

CORN-HUSKER.

Specieation of Letters Patent No. 19,325, dated February 9, 1858.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, Aor R. Davis, of East Cambridge, in the county ofMiddlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Machines for Husking Corn, of which the followingis a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, making part of this speciiication, in which isshown a perspective View of my improved machine.

In corn husking machines of this class where a toothed cylinder has beenused the cylinder has been hung in the frame with its axis inclined tothe horizontal for the purpose of feeding along the ear as the husk wasstripped. This generally necessitated the use of gearing to drive thecylinder, such as beveled gears or a universal joint, and in suchmachines ithas been customary to use a grating or some such device tohold the ear suspended above the cylinder that the long teeth employedmight not injure the grain of the corn. These arrangements rendered themachine more complicated than necessary and added materially to the costof construction while they detracted from the durability and eiiiciencyof it.

To obviate these objections is the object of my present invention whichconsists in the use of a conical cylinder having its axis in ahorizontal plane by which the inclined surface of the cone gives therequired feed to the ear, and in the employment of short stripping teethin conjunction with a stationary guard by which I am enabled to placethe ear immediately in contact with the cylinder when it is strippedwithout inj uring the grain.

My invention also consists in a device for supporting the ear out ofcontact with the cone unt-il the butt has been cut oft1 as will beexplained.

That others skilled in the art may understand and use my invention Iwill proceed to describe the manner in which I have carried out thesame.

In the drawings A is the frame of the ma-4 chine in suitable bearings inwhich is hung the axle B of the cone C. This axle is formed into a crankat a to which is attached a rod b connected at c to a treadle D, whichis pivoted at cl to the frame. The cylinder C is furnished with shortteeth e and has secured to its base a knife E. A

stationary inclined guard F is secured at one end at f to the frame andis supported at the outer end by a curved brace G; another guard. IFI issecured to the frame at g, with its face parallel to the guard F, and ata convenient distance to allow the ear of corn to be laid on the conebetween them, the teeth of the cone revolve close to the lower edge ofeach of these guards.

The end /t of the guard H is at right angles to the inclined face of thecone C and is in such a position that the edge z' of the knife E shallrevolve almost in contact with it as the cone revolves in the directionof the arrow 1, for the purpose of cutting off the butt end of the ear.The top of the knife is inclined toward the small end of the cone thatit may lie parallel to the end of the guard. As the ear is fed along inthe direction of the arrow 2, so soon as it comes in contact with theteeth e, it would be carried away from the proper position to be actedupon by the knife E, unless it was either held up by the hand of theoperator or was supported in some way above the teethuntil the butt endhad been out off; for this purpose I make use of the following device:Attached to the vertical face of each of the guards H and F, andprojecting horizontally therefrom are the brushes Z of the proper lengthand stiffness to-support the ear above the path of the teeth e, or otherelastic rests may be usedl in lieu of these bristles. To assist theoperator in placing the ear with the butt end projecting the properdistance beyond the edge L of the guard, yI have attached thereto asmall guide plate m, the front edge of which projects a little beyondthe face of the guard II. This piece serves as a rest against which toplace the bulge of the ear where the grains commence, so that all thestock beyond will be out off.

Operation: The operation of this machine is as follows: The cone israpidly revolved by means of the treadle D, and the ear of corn to behusked is laid on the brushes Z, with its bulge against the piece m, andthe portion to be cut olf projecting beyond the end L of the guard, whenas the cylinder revolves the knife E cuts off the end of the ear andpresses the ear down past the brushes Z onto the cylinder (theelasticity of the bristles allowing them to yield) when the teeth erolling the ear over against the face of the guard II, strip or tear offits husk and feed the ear along in the direction of the arrow 2 until itis delivered husked at p.

Besides the advantages of cheapness, sirnplicity and durability which Iobtain by the use of a cone constructed and arranged as set forth, Ifind that the ear Will bear to be subjected to a much more rapid tearingaction of the teeth When the husking operation rst commences than whennearly all the husk is torn off, Without injuring the grain, thisdifference of motion is obtained by the difference in the Velocity ofthe surface of a cone near its base and near its apex.

I claim- In combination With the stationary guards II and F, cone C andknife E, the elastic or spring rests Z, operating substantially asdescribed.

ABBOT R. DAVIS.

Witnesses:

Trios. R. RoAcH, P. E. TEsoI-IEMAGHER.

